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He wanted to come here, but the final decision was not my responsibility

Cristophe Lollichon

"He wanted to come here, but the final decision was not my responsibility.

"It would have been a pleasure to work with him."

Lollichon clearly thinks highly of Areola, who had previously been linked with a move to Newcastle.

And the Blues coach believes the PSG stopper should be playing ahead of France captain Hugo Lloris.

Alphonse Areola wanted to move to Chelsea in the summer (Image: Getty)

Hugo Lloris is ahead of Alphonse Areola in the French setup (Image: Getty)

“I didn’t have to wait until Thursday to discover Areola. For me, he’s already the best French goalkeeper today,” he added.

“His size, his ball-playing qualities, his calmness – he’s the keeper most adapted to playing in the way of the team.

“We eulogise about Lloris too much, but Areola is above him.

“Against Germany, he was very good in his position and his ability to cut out balls behind his defence. It’s the base of any goalkeeper, but not everyone can do it as well. Alphonse is very pro-active.

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Alphonse Areola made his debut for France against Germnay (Image: Getty)

“It’s sad to see a club like Paris play a 40-year-old goalkeeper while you have a 25-year-old Areola who meets all expectations. In Ligue 1, Buffon can play another one or two years, but in the Champions League be careful – it’s much faster and I’ve got reservations.

“Rotation among goalkeepers is ridiculous. Ask Petr Cech if he enjoyed being second choice with Arsenal in the Europa League last season. He was crazy!

“Alphonse will grow alongside Buffon, who can add to his game every day. But he must play, otherwise he’ll miss his chance.”